2026
Authors
Fidalgo, JNM; Saraiva, J;
Publication
Abstract
2026
Authors
de Oliveira, AR; Martinez, SD; Villar, J; Saraiva, JT; Campos, FA;
Publication
ENERGY
Abstract
The European Union Internal Electricity Market is undergoing major reforms to support the transition to a fully decarbonized energy system by 2050, where non-dispatchable renewable energy sources play a central role. To enhance market efficiency, renewable energy sources integration, and power system balancing, the European Union promotes increased cross-border interconnection and cooperation among Member States. This paper reviews existing literature and market models addressing multi-zone interconnection capacity allocation and proposes a novel inter-zonal co-optimization mechanism for the joint allocation of energy and automatic balancing reserve capacity based on system cost minimization. Unlike previous approaches that treat energy and reserve coordination separately or sequentially, this study introduces a unified optimization framework that captures the interdependencies of intra-and inter-zonal dispatch. The proposed mechanism is implemented within the CEVESA market model and applied to a realistic Iberian case study, assessing its economic and operational impacts under varying interconnection capacity scenarios. Results show that while energy coordination alone achieves significant cost reductions, joint coordination of energy and reserves delivers further efficiency gains, reduces reserve price volatility, and enhances cross-border system flexibility.
2026
Authors
Elhawash, AM; Hussein, AS; Araújo, RE; Lopes, JAP;
Publication
CONTROL ENGINEERING PRACTICE
Abstract
The polarization curve characteristics of proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen electrolyzers lead to large variations in the equivalent load impedance over the operating current range. This results in a varying closed-loop system time response when traditional fixed-gain PI controllers are employed. In this work, the design and experimental validation of a 3-phase interleaved buck converter controlled via a proposed adaptive lead-lag current control strategy for a PEM hydrogen electrolyzer load is presented. The incremental load conductance method is used to obtain a control-oriented model of the converter-electrolyzer system, enabling real-time calculation of controller parameters via pole-zero cancellation and user-specified transient performance. A laboratory prototype is implemented to experimentally verify the approach under step-load changes, ramp-load changes, and 50% input voltage sag conditions. The results show less than 1% current ripple, identical transient performance over the entire operating range, and improved disturbance ride-through performance compared to a traditional PI controller. The proposed approach offers a viable and robust control solution for high-current PEM electrolyzer applications.
2026
Authors
Simões, M; Peças Lopes, J; Soares, FJ;
Publication
Abstract
2026
Authors
Affonso, CM; Bessa, RJ; Gouveia, CS;
Publication
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS
Abstract
The connection of distributed energy resources in distribution system have been increasing significantly, requiring new approaches as market-based flexibility solutions. This paper proposes the coordinated operation of on-load tap changer and flexibility services traded in a local market for voltage regulation in medium and low voltage grid. The wider action of on-load tap changer is used to restore voltages at the medium voltage feeder based on sensitivity coefficients. If voltage violations persist, flexibilities are traded in a local energy market with a cost-effective approach, where flexibility costs are minimized, and are activated according to their effectiveness indicated by sensitivity coefficients. Sensitivity coefficients are obtained in the medium voltage using an analytical approach that can be applied to multi-phase unbalanced systems, and in the low voltage using a data-driven approach due to their limited observability. Results show the proposed approach can be an effective solution to regulate voltages, combining the wider action of on-load tap changer with local flexibility, avoiding unnecessary tap changes and requesting a small volume of flexibility services.
2026
Authors
Moaidi, F; Bessa, RJ;
Publication
ENERGY AND AI
Abstract
The growing integration of renewable energy sources and the widespread electrification of the energy demand have significantly reduced the capacity margin of the electrical grid. This demands a more flexible approach to grid operation, for instance, combining real-time topology optimization and redispatching. Traditional expert-driven decision-making rules may become insufficient to manage the increasing complexity of real-time grid operations and derive remedial actions under the N-1 contingency. This work proposes a novel hybrid AI framework for power grid topology control that integrates genetic network programming (GNP), reinforcement learning, and decision trees. A new variant of GNP is introduced that is capable of evolving the decision-making rules by learning from data in a reinforcement learning framework. The graph-based evolutionary structure of GNP and decision trees enables transparent, traceable reasoning. The proposed method outperforms both a baseline expert system and a state-of-the-art deep reinforcement learning agent on the IEEE 118-bus system, achieving up to an 28% improvement in a key performance metric used in the Learning to Run a Power Network (L2RPN) competition.
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